Thank you very much. Next we will hear from a parent, Elaine Blake. And then Reginald Carter and then we will hear from Thelma Peake, who represents parents as well as her own school, Peake's Little Angels. (Witnesses come forward.)
Thank you very much. Welcome. Please identify yourself for the record and begin your testimony.
Councilmen, ladies and gentlemen and students, my name is Elaine Blake, and I'm a parent of two teenage students here in the public schools of Philadelphia. Well, I'm surprised to find myself here today, but I was looking at the news sometime this week, and I saw Mayor Street proposing that the public school system might have uniforms. My children grew up in New Jersey and they had uniforms, and coming to Philadelphia was a big transition for my children. At Fitzsimon, my son was -- he got the fourth top score in the SAT, and I'm not bragging about him because there were other students too did just as good. But day by day, I've been watching in my neighborhood -- I'm from the 16th District, where Joe Williams is State Representative, and I even campaigned for him, and I don't know whether or not that district is more needy than other districts, you know. And I understand a democracy is a choice. But from where we see it, as the voice of the mothers and fathers, in District 16, 108 /00 EDUCATION - BILL 2 there's no choice for us. There's no choice because our teachers seem to have lost the attention of the students. And it is really the biggest problem there, the dress code. Myself and my peers and during the time we guys was in school, we all wanted to be individuals and, you know, but I'm sure that we all can see what this has done for our children. Fitzsimon, Simon Gratz and schools in that area, every day I see children drop out of school because they don't have the right shoes. They can't -- their mothers and fathers cannot afford those $200 pair of shoes, those (unintelligible) sweaters, you understand? I see doctors, lawyers, teachers, Heisman trophy winners, and even my son, I'm seeing a difference in my children, as a single parent in North Philadelphia with two teenage kids and a widow. And my family is originally from West Palm Beach, Florida, and it's difficult. My son went from an A student -- this is personal. I have been listening to everyone else speak, but I don't need notes today. I live and I see it and it's in my heart, the pain that I 109 /00 EDUCATION - BILL 2 see my children in and the childrens (sic) around me, that mothers are strung out on drugs and whatever, and the mothers that are making the transition from welfare back into the job sector. It's difficult. We are losing our children. It's real, real simple to me. We don't have time, the time that we're spending to debate about this issue. Every second is counting. The time is ticking because the children that are in the District 12 and other respective areas like District 16 are in 13 danger. There are guys on the corners selling 14 drugs that do not use drugs because their mothers 15 and fathers cannot afford those schools and those 16 dress codes. It is ridiculous. Do you understand what I'm saying? So the teachers have lost the attention of the students because they're not listening, they're not watching the teachers. They're not -- they are waiting for that person to walk in the door and see what they have on. And I heard somebody say that, okay, the uniforms would be like a Band-Aid on the problems that we're having in schools, but 110 /00 EDUCATION - BILL 2 somewhere, the healing must begin. As we clean up the wolves of our estates with this dress code and we bandage this situation and we wait for the healing to begin, we are also saving lives of the children that's in our high schools today. When I visit the PTA or whatever, I might need to go to William Penn. School is a place where our children must come to learn, okay. Once they get in the door and pass the rhetoric of what's going on in the school, uniforms will make a difference. It will make a difference there's no 13 shadow of a doubt.
You know, everyone has their opinion but, you know, I could understand statistics but we are living this nightmare and if the situation in our schools is not bandaged, every one of you will be the victims of the children that's coming up in schools today, every one of us. Do you understand? And I had to come here, you know, and let you feel what's happening to our children. And I thank God that we now have a voice, that we can say what we want. No matter what you're saying, I'm going to vote yes. 111 /00 EDUCATION - BILL 2 Thank you. God bless us and God bless our schools.
Thank you very much. We appreciate your testimony. The Chair also notes that Councilman Michael Nutter is here. We appreciate his attendance this afternoon at this hearing and he would like to make a statement.
Thank you, Madam Chair. And first let me commend my colleague Councilwoman Blondell Reynolds Brown for bringing this resolution forward. I know that a couple members of the School Board are here and the Board of Education is examining this particular topic. I'd certainly like to support the testimony of the last speaker, but I would like to also say on a personal note that because of my education experience, I wore a uniform for the first eight years of my education and then was subject to a dress code for my high school years. Notwithstanding my current behavior, I don't think it had any impact on my ability to express myself, to be cool from time to time. I was not maybe the 112 /00 EDUCATION - BILL 2 coolest character in time but I wasn't the corniest guy either, and I think that it does provide some level of discipline and character- building for the young people. School is not a fashion show; it is a place of education. And even within that, I can recall, at least in high school, that guys would wear different jackets, different types of pants. The big thing in my day was a silk and wool pants. What you wore in high school was a jacket, shirt and tie, pair of pants, and shoes. You could not wear sneakers unless you were going to gym. And in the earlier years, there was somewhat of a dress code. I think that the attention that the young people spend worrying about who has what on is a distraction. And as the young lady said, no, it will not solve hunger, it will not bring world peace, and maybe it will only be a Band-Aid, but when you have a scrape, it's good to have a Band-Aid. I believe the final decision will certainly be for the Board of Education, but I would like to encourage them to make a decision 113 /00 EDUCATION - BILL 2 that brings some uniform policy for the younger students up through elementary and middle school, and probably somewhat of a more relaxed dress code that only allows the wearing of certain items in some limited variety of colors. But I think it will help. We have other things we need to deal with also: we have financing, we have facilities and infrastructure, a whole host of other things to worry about. But I think the kids need to get it straight in their minds that they're in school to have a good education, talk with friends, have a good time, go to gym, all those things, but it really is not when the next student comes in the door, what does that student have on and what the next person comes in has on. What you really have to worry about think about is things like geography, science, math, English and get ready to come out here in a uniform. I wear a uniform every day. Whatever it is I need to wear to get what I need to get done ends up being immaterial. For what some of the people are worried about here today, they have the rest of their lives to learn all of those 114 /00 EDUCATION - BILL 2 lessons. Thank you very much, Madam Chair --
-- for the opportunity to speak on this important topic.
I'm Reggie Carter, the father, parent of a Philadelphia public school child. I support uniforms. Just as Mr. Nutter just said, children are concentrating on things that they have no business concentrating on in class. I have two of my sons in public schools, W.S. Pierce Middle School, and there is an enormous amount of competition, especially with children going through puberty. So even though it's not going to cure everything, I hope the City will go for uniforms and implement them as soon as possible. In urban settings such as Philadelphia, 115 /00 EDUCATION - BILL 2 with all the things we have to deal with, like funding the local expertise of our teachers or the administrations of our particular schools or the clusters, whatever, we certainly need to be concerned about discipline. And uniforms go a long way to helping our children achieve a state of discipline in the schools. So I'm just here to say that I hope uniforms will be required as soon as possible.
Thank you very much, Mr. Carter. Thank you very much. Next is Thelma Peake, from Peake's Little Angels. She comes from West Philadelphia and does a fine job, not only as a school owner and principal, but certainly as a community leader who keeps up the area, fights the graffiti, fights the crime, and is overall a good neighborhood. (Ms. Peake comes forward.)
Allow me first to ditto in capital letters what Councilwoman Blackwell just said. You are true gem in West Philadelphia. 116 /00 EDUCATION - BILL 2
Thank you. I come in concerned about the issue of school uniforms. First I want to say that I am a retiree from the Board of Education. After serving 7 years, I opened up Peake's Little Angels, which 8 has been in existence for 13 years. Out of the 13 9 years, we've had a uniform policy for 10 years, 10 and we feed into the public school systems. We 11 have graduated over 5,000 students out of our 12 center, and most of the children that are in the 13 public, private, and parochial schools are 14 excelling with Academic Plus in the public 15 schools. Now, the uniform issue is not something new that's in the public schools, because if you really look at it, uniforms are in every level of schools -- be it with bands, cheerleading, football teams, basketball teams, swim teams, and all other type of competitive teams in the schools. If I suggest anything about implementing uniforms in our schools, it's that the parents have a very, very important part in 117 /00 EDUCATION - BILL 2 selecting the uniform. At our center, by them being a part, it helped them to be very, very interested and supportive of the uniform. Uniforms for me work well in the elementary and middle schools, but I really think that a strong enforcement of a dress code in a high school would help because by the time young people get to high school, they need more of a choice. When I was in 12th grade, I was employed, so I know that leaving high school to go to work might be a little difficult to change clothes and get ready for your job. If you look around, the public schools are supporting charter schools, and every charter school in Philadelphia has implemented a uniform policy. Catholic schools have uniforms from elementary through high school. And it's -- it's -- a lot of young people would love to be in those charter schools so that's something that they would have to understand before they go in there, that they're going to wear a uniform. And that is something that I support -- the uniform -- because at Peake's Little Angels, our two-year-olds wear uniforms and have a very 118 /00 EDUCATION - BILL 2 strong sense of pride at our school. We have one day in which the children dress up for gym and do not wear uniforms. Children are required to wear shoes four days a week, and one day a week, they're allowed to wear gym clothes and sneakers. It helps us with self-esteem, it helps us in team- building, and helps us with children coming to school every day. A lot of times when I turn in my state reports, they don't understand why I have such a high attendance record at our school, especially with the food program. The children go to school every day why because it's very, very convenient for our parents. We are in an area that has a lot juvenile crime. I'm a committee person for the 46th Ward and the 11th Division and I talk to a lot of people on corners every day in the streets. And I know that a lot of young play people hooky from school, one, because they have a lot of pressure because of hair, clothes, and all kinds of materialistic values. If you could just try -- maybe it is a Band-Aid, but I think that uniforms would be a first step of trying to get structure. 119 /00 EDUCATION - BILL 2 One of the reasons that I left the School Board was because of the pressures of teaching and I was a dedicated teacher. I think I missed about ten days in many years of working with the School Board. One of the reasons I left, I think, was because of the fact that the cell phones were taking over, then the pagers started going off in my classrooms. I would also like the Board of Education to consider that if you're going to add some structure and add that uniform, that you also add some type of code that the young people will not have cell phones and pagers going off in the classrooms.
There is a policy. I don't believe children are allowed to bring pagers and cell phones to school.
Well, they're still violating the policy. Whether they vibrate or not, they're not supposed to them to have them.
I'm almost done. With competition -- competition comes 120 /00 EDUCATION - BILL 2 in all areas, and if we just could alleviate the dress competition, maybe there will be some doors that will open with brain competition, you know, and building a better tomorrow. Young people -- and I once said this before -- really do need structure, and I think that structure works -- a consistent structure, not one way, then change it to another way. So if the uniform policy is implemented, I would suggest that it would be implemented in September, at the beginning of the year and that it would be promoted up through the summer as something positive, not a negative, because if you implement it in the spring, it's already in the school year, and that would maybe be a little jagged or it would hurt a parent. I think you should give parents enough time and call the parents to discuss these things with the parents, and also go out and tour the schools that already have -- public schools that already have a uniform policy implemented in the school. And don't announce that you're coming because a lot of times when people know you're coming in the door, they put on their best show. 121 /00 EDUCATION - BILL 2 But you should and do studies before you vote and see the schools that already have uniforms implemented. You might first go to some schools that don't have uniforms and really see if there is a difference with the uniform. Other than that, I'm done. Thank you very much for giving me the opportunity to give some remarks.
Thank you, Miss Peake. So you think we should have uniforms in elementary and middle schools?
I would suggest uniforms in elementary through middle school and that you enforce a dress code for the high school.
Thank you. Thank you very much. MISS PEAKE: Hi. My name is Esther Lindsay Peake. She said most of what I wanted to say, but I do totally agree with the dress code and the uniforms being implemented. We have children in the elementary school as well as middle schools that hide in closets, crying all day because they're getting picked on all day because of their clothes, 122 /00 EDUCATION - BILL 2 because they didn't have the proper attire. It's not a child's fault that the mother or father cannot afford expensive clothes. I totally agree that uniforms would be better for our children because, like so many other people have said before me, it would cut down so much on the competition in schools and it would help some of the kids who have no power over what they wear and who have to be forced to wear clothing that takes down their standards or builds a low self-esteem in them or they're picked on and talked about. When you think about children in elementary school, we say elementary schools do not have problems with it or we might not have a problem with them adjusting to it. But it's still needed even in high school or middle school because we have 7th-graders, when it's still cold outside, who come to school with belly-button blouses on and hipsters pants. And it's offensive, it's provocative, and they don't understand because they're not taught to cover themselves up. They don't know how to dress. And their dress can be interference to 123 /00 EDUCATION - BILL 2 schools. For example, I have a student in class right now, an 8th grader that wears a jacket all day. I said, "Why are you wearing that jacket?" She said, "These boys pick on my body because I'm heavy-built." She's heavy-busted and hippy and tries to protect herself so she wears jeans all the time,, and her jeans are tight, so the boys are looking at her all the time. If she wears a long uniform, it would not accent her hips and bust so she would be so much more comfortable totally. So as far as uniforms, I hope it passes.
Thank you thank you very much. MISS PEAKE: Thank you.
Mr. Barton Caine, from the ACLU. (Witness comes forward.)
Good afternoon. Thank you for allowing me to speak on behalf of the American Civil Liberties Union, which is in opposition to school uniforms. The students who were here from high 124 /00 EDUCATION - BILL 2 school who spoke to you today spoke with such conviction, and I, as a professor of constitutional law and who teaches a course in the first amendment would have been proud to have these students in my class, because they were able to enunciate far better than I can the real feelings which our constitution protects. They are not only future lawyers, they are present advocates. They were able to put into words, which should hold some conviction, what the basic freedoms of this country mean, not only for all of us, but especially for our schools. The first amendment of the Constitution of the United States protects our freedom of speech against government action. It says that the government shall make no law abridging freedom of speech. It doesn't talk about good laws or good speech or bad speech or dangerous speech or not; it is a sweeping protection. And from time to time, our courts, when it came to students, have held that to be in very high regard, evidenced by the quotation given to you by one of the high school students from the case of Tinker versus the School Board, in which the justice said 125 /00 EDUCATION - BILL 2 students do not leave their first amendment rights at the schoolhouse gate. These first amendment rights are not only the right to speak, but they're the right to express themselves. So not only do they have the right to talk, but they have the right to be different. The first amendment rights include the right to be let plus all the fundamental freedoms with which we should imbue our students. School uniforms send exactly the wrong message. This is a repression of freedom to be different, to say what you want, feel what you want, think what you want, and dress the way you want. These ideas are much more important than the ideas that we have talked about. When it comes to the life of adults, we have just seen the United States Supreme Court in a case involving a similar issue -- not the same issue, but involving whether or not the government can tell students or tell children what they can see on television, what they can see on the Internet. A profound statement was made not only by the judges in Philadelphia but in the Washington Supreme Court of the United States 126 /00 EDUCATION - BILL 2 where they said that parents should raise children, not the government, and therefore, they mean that these are issues which should be decided by the parent. If they want their children to come to school one way or another, they should have the right to make that decision. The whole concept of freedom under our constitutional system is who makes the decision. If the decision is made by the government, there is no freedom. If that decision is made by the individual, even if it's identical, there is freedom. And we shouldn't be persuaded by any arguments -- even if they could be proven, but they can't -- that somehow you will improve education by putting people in uniforms, because when you uniform somebody's body, you uniform their minds also, and that's exactly the wrong message we intend to convey to our students. But even if that could be proven, that doesn't prove the case at all, because under the first amendment, the government, in order to restrict freedom has to prove two things: one, that it has a compelling government interest to restrict that 127 /00 EDUCATION - BILL 2 right. The second one is to prove that the restriction is precisely tailored to convince you that the government has such an interest. There's no doubt about the fact in my mind, as a professor of constitutional law, that the government fails on both counts. Anecdotal evidence is something which cannot be directed to the issue of uniforms. That has nothing to do with it, commons sense dictates that.
Nor is it important to know what lawyers have to do when they come into court. Am I disqualified because I'm not wearing a tie, and suit coat, because I'm wearing different clothes? That's absolutely absurd. What we ought to tell our students is they have the right to be different and listen to Justice Drennan on the Supreme Court, one of the great voices of our time who says great that a tradition of our society is the right to differ, the right to do what you want, to repel authority, to make your own decision. What is unfortunately happening in the United States today is that a series of cases are coming down from the United States Supreme Court, 128 /00 EDUCATION - BILL 2 none of which touch this issue, by the way, but which are cases in which rights of students in public schools are cut down and cut down and cut down to the point that people are now making the assumption that children have no such rights. I was the one who wrote the pamphlet for the American Civil Liberties Union on the rights of school children in Pennsylvania, in which I urge on behalf of those children, that we stand up for right as elders. Justice Brandeis reminded us that people who are born to liberty are naturally suspicious of evil mind-rulers, but that the greatest danger to liberty lies in those people who are good-hearted but have an excess of zeal but with misunderstanding. Thank you.
Thank you. Do any members of the committee have any questions?
Okay, thank you very much. Our last witness of the day is Ron 129 /00 EDUCATION - BILL 2 Wilch. Ron Wilch. Does anybody else want to speak that hasn't been called on? (No response.) (Witness comes forward.)
I want to thank you for allowing me to say a few words. I don't mind being last. In fact, it's a good thing, especially after hearing what I heard.
Ron Wilch, and I'm a clothing designer by trade and also a consultant for many manufacturers in Pennsylvania as well as outside of Philadelphia.
W-I-L-C-H. I just want to give some advice and don't want to tear down anyone's statement. But in my experience as a father of two children, our daughter and son -- my daughter is Eve, who is 130 /00 EDUCATION - BILL 2 well known as a rap artist in Philadelphia. Eve went to a Catholic school and wore uniforms but went on and became a well-known rap star. My son, who's six years old. Goes to Pfeiffer School and wear uniforms and he's doing very well. It's easy for me when my wife has to leave early and I know what to pull out of the closet for him. It's very simple and easy. " The word "uniform" should not be used. " The name "uniform" is confusing is very harsh, so "gear" is the proper term at this. " The whole fashion industry is marketing themselves today towards the urban youth. It used to be the working class, but now it's the youth. It's a million dollar campaign on our youth. Tommy Hilfiger was nothing to speak of five years ago, but he tapped into an urban market, the hip-hop. Calvin Klein, everyone is focusing in on the youth. Our youth has been transformed into a 131 /00 EDUCATION - BILL 2 tool to make growth and development for manufacturers. " Unity is about progress and our mission should be, as far as the public schools, to get an education and to regain our position as number one in mathematics, number one in science, because we should know we're not in the top ten now. The Asian countries have took our place in mathematics and in English, but if you look at Asian countries, Japan and China, the whole country wears uniforms, the whole nation of children wear uniforms. They are on a mission, and their mission is education and their education has now put them in a position to rule. So I suggest that when it comes to our high school students, we should include them in designing the clothing line for them to wear. We should market -- let them help us market the idea of the clothing of school gear for the schools. We should not rush into it this year. I suggest that we plan and market the idea this 132 /00 EDUCATION - BILL 2 year, but plan for next year for the uniforms to be implemented. It is a very shocking situation for our youth, who is being pulled right now by the marketing, the Tommy Hilfiger and Calvin Klein and every major manufacturer today. The videos that we see on MTV, BET, all of the music videos, is talking about what they have on, what kind of jewelry do you have, what kind of shoes they wear, what kind of pants they wear. So we are at a great fight with our teens about this clothing. And I'm going to tell you, it's going to be a hell of a fight, but if we plan properly in the way of marketing this idea of uniforms, it will work. But it takes planning. My daughter, Eve, I talk to her. " She would do rap song, a commercial. These things you must plan properly and include the students. Let them come up with ideas for a uniform. Have a design contest for uniforms. The uniforms that they have today are outdated. They're 20 years old. They need to come up with new ideas. The old Catholic uniforms 133 /00 EDUCATION - BILL 2 ideas, I don't favor them. They need to be cut fuller, with more -- the young brother just stated that they want to be relaxed, they don't want to be in a suit and tie. But let them help. And the only way they can help is to let them come up with the ideas, that the School Board needs some advice, they need some consulting. They need to hear it from manufacturers, students, parents, everybody's involved. But I'd like to say this: This is a great opportunity for the City, economic growth in the way of manufacturing. The City of Philadelphia used to be the first and second place in manufacturing in the world. We are dead-last now.
The City of Philadelphia spends money on uniform clothing -- from police uniforms to correctional officer uniforms to Water Department uniforms, and they spend money on uniforms that are being made outside of Philadelphia, outside of the country, and we do not benefit. This is a good opportunity to restart or kick in an opportunity to bring back some, not all, but some manufacturers or the manufacturers that's left in the City that are starving and 134 /00 EDUCATION - BILL 2 looking for contracts elsewhere, 'cause Philadelphia is known not to get any contracts. I speak today not only as a parent but also as one who's in the industry and who could move to New York but don't want to move to New York. I was born and raised in Philadelphia and I have clients throughout the country. They ask me, "Ron, why you still in Philadelphia? Why don't you move to New York? " But I have hope in Philadelphia. There's a great opportunity. There's vacant factory buildings and untrained people. I think this is an opportunity that with the partnership of the community, we could bring them back and say, Come on, we'll train you well. And let's produce what we need to produce. The school uniform policy needs to be planned properly and not be implemented by this September. It should be marketed starting in September and then implemented in September 2001. It's simple. Our kids need to be told that it's okay to wear the uniform. That's marketing. You need the hip-hoppers, you need 135 /00 EDUCATION - BILL 2 Shaquille O'Neal, the NBA players to say that it's all right, I wore it, look at me now. That's called marketing. Those kids will fight against you if you force them this year to wear uniforms. Thank you very much.
Thank you, Mr. Wilch. Do any members of the committee have any questions?
I do not have a question, but your comments bring an added perspective that I never ever considered with regards to the marketing piece and how we can successfully involve young people in this new policy, should it indeed come to be that. So thank you for your very, very different perspective. We should thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Wilch, thank you for coming in. This concludes the Education Committtee hearing this afternoon, and this committee will recess at the call of the Chair. Thank you. (Adjourned at 5:10 a.m.) - - - 136 C E R T I F I C A T E I HEREBY CERTIFY that the foregoing proceedings of the Council of the City of Philadelphia of Thursday, April 27, 2000, were reported fully and accurately by me, and that this is a correct transcript of same. RE: COUNCIL COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION RESOLUTION NO. 000174 __________________________________, JOSEPHINE CARDILLO, Registered Professional Reporter